Mercury-interrupter.



PATENTED SEPT. 17, 1907. A. R. LUsGHKA MERCURY INTBRRUPTER.

APPLIGATION FILED DEG. 11. 1905.

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j /QM No. 866,289. PATENTED SEPT. 17, 1907. A. R. LUSGHKA.

MERCURY INTERR UPTER.

APPLIOATION FILED DEO.11,1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED sma ls PATENT OFFICE...

AUGUST R. LUSOHKA, OF RIVER FOREST,. ILLINOIS,- ASSIGNOR TO WESTERNELECTRIC COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

MERGURY-INTERRUPTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 17, 1907.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that L'Auous'r R. LUSCHKA, a citizen of Switzerland,residing at River Forest, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois,have invented a certain.

new and useful Improvement in Mercury-Interrupters, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, concise, andexact description.

in suspension. Irregular action of the interrupter results, and theapparatus may become so fouled that the jet opening is choked up. In.inte rrupters heretofore constructed the removal of the contents andcleaning of the apparatus is a disagreeable and difficult undertaking.

1n the device of my invention the fluid contents of the vessel may beeasily withdrawn and the parts cleaned without tipping or otherwisedisturbing the po-' sition of the interrupter and without requiringhandling of the fouled parts.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation ofmyimproved interrupter; and Fig. 2 is a plan view .thereof, the same partsbeing designated by corresponding reference characters in both views.

The mercury container 3 is in the form of a cup or dish having the bodyportion of larger diameter than the mouth, and is mounted upon a shaft 4which is adapted to be rotated by means of a motor 5 through the agencyof suitable pulley and belt connections. A discharge opening 6 isprovided i the periphery of said cup. from which opening the iiiwercuryissues in a jet under the pressureof the centrifugal force when the cupis rotated.

Stationary contacts 18 are provided at intervals around the sideof thecup 3 to be struck by the mercury jet as the cup rotates. Said contacts18 are shown as teeth extending downward from the ring 7 which ismounted upon but insulated from the under side of the cover 8. Thebinding post 9 which forms one terminal of the apparatus is'ineleetrical connection with said ring.

The apparatus is inclosed in a vessel 10 which is adapted to contain oilor other insulating fluid, and also to receive the discharged mercury,which settles at the bottom of said vessel below the oil.

Vanes 16 should be provided in the vessel as usual to prevent churningof the contents.

shaft.

In accordance with my invention, means are provided for withdrawing themercury from the bottom of the inclosing vessel and conducting it eitherinto the container to feed the jet, or into a separate receptacle.During the normaloperation of the interrupter, the 60. mercury will ofcourse be conducted from the bottom of the inclosing vessel to thecontainer, to be used again; but when it is desired to clean theapparatus, the entire contents of the vessel may be tapped off and acleaning fluid, such as kerosene, passed through in the same manner.

In the apparatus shown in the drawing a centrifugal pump is arranged tobe operated by the rotary shaft of the interrupter, the impeller wheel11 of said pump being mounted at the lower end of said shaft, the inletof said pump being located at the bottom of the inclosing vessel 10. Thedischarge duct 12 of the pump, through which the contents of the vesselmay be thereby drawn off, is provided with a gooseneck discharge nozzle13 which is slidably and rotatably mounted in a said duct, so that saidnozzle may occupyeither'the position shown in full lines, to return the.mercury to the container through the funnel 14, or the position shown indotted lines to discharge the entire contents of the vessel into aseparate receptacle.

Another feature of my invention consists in the provision of separatoropenings 15, 15, in the floor of the rotary container, through which thelighter impurities may be discharged. The mercury is thus purified by acentrifugal separation before it is used in the jet.

In the operation of the device one terminal of the circuit to beinterrupted is connected to the binding post 17 which is in electricalconnection with the frame of the apparatus and so through the spindle orshaft with the mercury container and the mercury therein; while theother terminal of said circuit is connected to binding post 9 which isin electrical connection with i the ring 7 having the contact teeth 18.The mercury vessel 10 being filled with oil and mercury about to therespective levels indicated, the shaft 4 is started in rotation by themotor 5. The centrifugal pump operated by said shaft 4 acts to withdrawmercury from the bottom of the vessel 10 and discharge the same throughthe duct 12 and nozzle 13 into the funnel 14 and so into the containeror cup 3 which is also rotated by said From this cup the mercury isdischarged in a jet through the opening (5, and as the cup rotates thecircuit through the apparatus is completed while the jet is striking anyof the teeth 18, and broken during the remaining intervals, very rapidinterruptions being thus secured. The break takes place in the oil withwhich the inclosing vessel is filled above the level of the mercury. Themercury discharged from the jet sinks to the bottom of the receptacle,from which it is pumped out and used again and again, a continuouscirculation being kept up. As before stated, the lighter impuritieswhich may be carried with the mercury into the rotary cup 3 areseparated from the mercury by the centrifugal action of said cup, beingdischarged through the openings 15, 15, in the floor of the cup, whilethe purified mercury is carried to the periphery of said cup to bedischarged through the jet openingfi.

' When it is desired to clean the apparatus, the nozzle .or dischargepipe 13 is turned to the position shown in dotted lines, whereby theentire contents ofthe vessel 10 may be withdrawn. A cleaning fluid suchas kerosene may also be passed through the apparatus and removed in thesame way, all without removing the cover or any of theparts, or handlingthe fouled portions.

I claim:

1. In a fluid jet interrupter, the combination with the jet and contactapparatus, of an int-losing vessel therefor adapted to contain thedischarged conducting fluid and an insulating fluid, of means forwithdrawing fluid from the bottom of said vessel and either supplyingthe same again to the jet or discharging said fluid elsewhere, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In a mercury jet interrupter, the combination with a rotary containerhaving an opening in its periphery adapted to discharge the mercury in ajet therefrom, of a stationary contact adapted to be struck by said jetin its rotation, an inclosing vessel adapted to contain an insulatingfluid and the discharged mercury, a centrifugal pump having an impellerwheel mounted to rotate with said rotary container. said pump having itsinlet at the bottom of the inclosing vessel to withdraw the contentsthereof, and a discharge pipe for said pump adapted to direct thedischarge either-into said rotary container to be used again orelsewhere to empty said vessel.

3. In an interrupter, the combination with a container having an openingadapted to discharge a jet of conducting fluid therefrom, of a contactplate in position to be struck by said jet, means for producing relativemovement between said jet and said contactplate, an inclosing vesseladapted to contain the discharged conducting fluid, a duct communicatlngat the bottom with said vessel, means for producing a difference inpressure to cause the conducting fluid to be withdrawn from said vesselthrough said duct, and means for directing the discharge from said ducteither into said container to be used again or elsewhere to empty andclean said vessel.

4. In a mercury jet interrupter, the combination with an inclosingvessel containing an insulating fluid and stationary contact pieces, ofa rotary mercury cup in said vessel, said cup having a peripheral jetopening facing said contact pieces, and also having openings at adistance from the periphery through which the lighter impurities may bedischarged:

5. The combination with a fluid jet circuit-interrupter, and means forsupplying conducting fluid to the jet thereof, of a centrifugalseparator arranged to feed said conducting fluid to said jet and toremove the lighter im purities therefrom before the same reach said jet,substantially as set forth.

6. In a fluid jet interrupter, the combination with a rotary shaftcarrying a mercury cup having a peripheral discharge opening, of astationary contact in position to be struck by the jet of mercury fromsaid opening as the cup is rotated, an inclosing vessel for said parts,adapted to contain an insulating fluid and also to receive thedischarged mercury, which settles at the bottom of said yessel, 'acentrifugal pump having its impeller wheel mounted AUGUST R. LUSCIIKA.

Witnesses Bmrr STARR YORK, Roy '1. ALLOWAY.

